"It's not good, it's not good for the industry, it's not good for the consumer," said Carol Dover with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. "We believe that education, education, education -- it is not about putting a grade that is what we call a snapshot in time on the door for everyone to see."

But Local 10 found many restaurants cited for "manager or person in charge lacks knowledge of food-borne illness" or "employee has not received adequate training," indicating employees weren't being educated.

Dover said most violations are often cleaned up before an inspector leaves a restaurant, making it unfair to post a low grade.

People in Wake County, N.C., said low grades keep them out of restaurants. The grading system there has been in place for years.

"If you get below an A, then once you get those items corrected, you can request a re-inspection and we'll go back and make another inspection for the purpose of raising the grade," said Frances Breedlove with Wake County Environmental Services.